Changes . . .Take Them or Leave Them?
This past weekend I explained a personal philosophy to my dear daughter-in-law about changes in my life. I told her that I have pretty much had as a life rule:
"Do not be the first person to pick up on a trend or fad but don't be the last one either."
Pretty middle of the road, wouldn't you say?
Then in one of my favourite books given to my husband by our son, many, many years ago, "Time and the Art of Living", by Robert Grudin, I found this very appropriate quote that works for me today.
"Two quick and easy ways of growing old are (1) to resist change obstinately and (2) to worship it (change) abjectly. In the first case, we are caught like snags in a river, worn down and bleached by the flow of experience. In the second, we are fatigued and wrinkled by innumerable re-orchestrations to circumstance. Those who remain fresh and vital, as though they floated in time, are people who understand permanence as a balance of dynamics rather than a constitution of detail, who retain the youthful mechanism of converting change into growth. These people greet change with a kind of returning wonderment, not only because each change suggests, in one way or another, a renewal of their world, but also because in the very rhythm of change they find something natively familiar, some inexpressible reminder of the deepest attributes of self."
"Do not be the first person to pick up on a trend or fad but don't be the last one either."
Pretty middle of the road, wouldn't you say?
Then in one of my favourite books given to my husband by our son, many, many years ago, "Time and the Art of Living", by Robert Grudin, I found this very appropriate quote that works for me today.
"Two quick and easy ways of growing old are (1) to resist change obstinately and (2) to worship it (change) abjectly. In the first case, we are caught like snags in a river, worn down and bleached by the flow of experience. In the second, we are fatigued and wrinkled by innumerable re-orchestrations to circumstance. Those who remain fresh and vital, as though they floated in time, are people who understand permanence as a balance of dynamics rather than a constitution of detail, who retain the youthful mechanism of converting change into growth. These people greet change with a kind of returning wonderment, not only because each change suggests, in one way or another, a renewal of their world, but also because in the very rhythm of change they find something natively familiar, some inexpressible reminder of the deepest attributes of self."
(photo recently snapped while whistling down the road near Dry Falls, WA)
Wishing you all a great week with a peaceful soul towards the changes you are feeling in your life.
Great quote... and Shelby, thank you for recommending that book written by one of your professors at U of O Eugene.
ReplyDeleteMy all time favourite quote on how we should think about time by Grudin is about the compounding effect of using a small amount of time each day to learn new languages, improve our health with daily exercise, develop new skills, or create great wealth by investing only a dollar a day every day. The secret of great accomplishment is doing the same thing every single day for years and years.
You have inspired me today to share that quote in its entirety in my blog.